Packaging



Dec. 15, 1964 J. WHITE 3,161,211

PACKAGING Original Filed Aug. 12, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet l FIG.I.

J. WHITE PACKAGING Dec. 15, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Aug.12, 1960 FIG. 6.

FIG. 8.

Dec. 15, 1964 J. WHITE 3,161,211

PACKAGING Original Filed Aug. 12. 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG. 9. a W 1 ea67 73 69-J" 65 T 93 1 1. 1, I0 l 87 FIG. ll. 97

a of the bag at the mouth 13 cf the bag.

3,161,211 PACKAGING James White, Fremont, Calili, assignor to BernieBro. Bag Company, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Originalapplication Aug. 12, 1960, Ser. No. 49,188, now Patent No. 3,100,569,dated Aug. 13, 1963. Divided and this application Aug. 13, 1962, Ser.No. 216,661 4 Claims. (Cl. 141--'1ll) This invention relates topackaging, and more particularly to methods of filling bags.

This application is a division of my copending application Serial No.49,188, filed August 12, 1960, entitled Packaging, now Patent No.3,100,569, dated August 13, 1963. 7 Among the several objects of thisinvention may be noted the provision of methods of filling bagsemploying a packet of bags; the provision of such methods useful forpackaging merchandise such as potatoes, buns and the like in bags; andthe provision of such methods according to which successive bags of apacket of bags are conveniently filled and withdrawn from the packetone-by-one in simple and economical manner. Other objects and featureswill be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the methods here inafter described,the scope of the invention being indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which several of various possibleembodiments of the invention are illustrated,

FIG. 1 is a view in elevation, with parts broken away, of a packet usedin conjunction with this invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical section taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view, with parts broken away, illusrating a fillingsystem using the FIG. 1 packet;

FIG. 4 is a section taken on line 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a section taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a view in elevation, with parts broken away, of another formof packet;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged vertical section taken on line 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary rear view of the packet of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a plan View illustrating another filling system utilizing thepacket of FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 is a section taken on line 10-10 of FIG. 9; and

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary view in elevation illustrating still anotherform of packet.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding partsthroughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings, a packet generally designated 1 used inconjunction with this invention is shown to comprise a plurality orstack of individual bags each designated 3. Bags 3 may be made of anysuitable material such as a heat-scalable plastic material. As shown,each bag 3 has a front wall 5 and a back wall 7 joined along the bottomthereof by fold 9, seamed together at the sides by heat seals 11 andfree of one another at the top thereby forming a mouth 13. Each bag hasa pair of openings 15 laterally spaced from one another and from thesides of the bag and located adjacent the corners Openings 15 are ofrelatively small diameter and extend through the front wall 5 and theback wall 7 of each bag 3.

Fasteners 17 extend through openings 15 of the bags to hold them inpacketed assembly. Each fastener is tubular, comprising a sleevecomposed of any suitable United States Patent 0 3,161,211 Patented Dec.15, 1964 material such as a rigid plastic material. Each sleeve has ahead 19 at the inner end thereof and a second head 21 at the outer endthereof, these heads serving to retain the bags 3 on the sleeves. Asshown, head 19 is substantially larger in diameter than openings 15 ofbags 3 and head 21 is only slightly larger in diameter than the openings15 of bag 3. In addition, head 21 is smoothly rounded as indicated at 23so that openings 15 of the bags 3 may be readily slipped thereover inremoving the bags from the fasteners or sleeves 17. The bags 3 are thusheld in packeted assembly on fasteners 17, each bag being adapted to beremoved from the fasteners one-byone in a filling operation describedhereinafter.

FIGS. 35 illustrate a packet such as above described used in a fillingsystem in which potatoes designated P are packaged in the bags 3. At 25is generally designated an endless conveyor having an upper reach 27 anda lower reach 29. The conveyor 25 is supported by a frame having sidemembers 31 and 33 in which the conveyor rolls are journalled asindicated at 35. The conveyor 25 travels in the direction indicated bythe arrow in FIG. 3 (toward the right) and thus carries the potatoes Ppast a number of stations 37, a quantity of potatoes being diverted toeach station by boards 33. Each station 37 includes a hopper 39supported by the horizontal leg 41 of an angle bracket generallydesignated 43. The vertical leg 45 of angle bracket 43 is fastened toside member 33 as indicated at 47. A pair of cantilever rods 49 iscarried by the vertical leg .5 of angle bracket 43 with free ends 51thereof extending out under the hopper. A packet 1 of bags 3 issuspended on rods 49 under each hopper 39, the rods 49 being received inand extending through the sleeves 17 of the packet 1.

In the filling operation, the front Wall 5 of the outermost bag 3 ofpacket 1 is pulled out under hopper 59 by the operator so as to openwide the mouth 13 of the bags 3 (see FIG. 4). In thus pulling out thefront wall 5, front wall 5 of the bag 3 is slipped over the roundedheads 21 from sleeves 17 and onto rods 49, the back wall 7 of the bag 3being retained on sleeves 17 behind the heads 21 thereof. With the bag 3in this position, potatoes are fed into the hopper 39 and fall into thebag 3 through the bag mouth 13 to fill the bag. The filled bag is thenremoved from the packet 1 and rods 49 for further operations by pullingout the back wall 7 of the bag from sleeves 17 over rounded heads 21onto rods 49 and pulling front and back walls 5 and 7 of the bag off therods 49 at the outer or free end of the rods. This operation is repeatedto fill each individual bag 3 and remove the filled bags from the packetone-by-one.

FIGS. 6-8 illustrate another form of packet generally designated 53shown to comprise a plurality of individual bags each designated 55.These bags may be made of any suitable material such as a heat-sealableplastic material. As shown, each bag 55 has a front wall 57 and a backwall 59 extending beyond the upper edge of the front wall 57 to form aflap 60. Front wall 57 and back wall 59 are joined along the bottomthereof by fold 61, seamed together at the sides by heat seals 63 andfree of one another at their upper ends to form a mouth 65. Intermediatethe mouth 65 and the upper edge of fiap 69, back wall 59 has a pair ofopenings 67 therein laterally spaced from one another and from the sidesof the bag.- These openings 67 are of relatively small diameter.Extending from each of the openings-67 to the upper edge of flap 66 ofthe back wall 59 of each bag 55 is a line of perforations 68. Theseprovide lines of weakness from openings 67 to the upper edge of fiap 69.

Received in and extending through openings 67 of bags 55 are a pair offasteners 69 composed, for example, of a rigid plastic material.Fasteners 69 also extend through ap'air ofo'penings70'in' a'backi'ngmember 71 which backs the flap '60 of the'back wall "59 of the 'lastbag'in the packet 53. Backing member 71 is of generally rectangular shapecorresponding to that of flap tl and may be composed of'any suitableri'gidor semiri'gid material snch as, for'example,fiberboa'rd. shown,each"fas tener"69 is a two piece gripper type fastener, comprisingheaded male andfeniale'elments'73' and 75 which snapto'getherto'hold'the bags (andbackirig member 71 in packeted assembly,'withsuccessive bags being adapted to be'removed from the packet 53one-'by one-in the filling operation hereafter described.

FIGS. 9 and: illustrate the packet 53: ofFIGS. 6 8 usedin a fillingsystem for packaging merchandise 'su'eh asjhamburger'bunsffor e'iiample,in the bags 55. As shown, packet'5 3 is positionedon a tray 79 of abagdistending "apparatus such as that shown in US. Patent left end,as"in dic ated at 81, and is biased toswing upward 'by a spring 83. Theright'end of the packet'e'ngages a tongueSS constitutedfbytheupperflange of a channel memb'er' 87. Funnels '93 'are'provided forguiding items, 'silch'as buns,'into the bags. As will be apparent from vU.S."Patent 2,673,016, the distehding apparatusincludes means'forblowing air'intdea'chbag for opening it.

In'the filling operation, the front wall 57 of the upper bag '55 ofpacket 53 is separated-from the back'wall 59 to open'themou th i65ibyblowing air into the bag (see FIG. 10 Next a'qu antity ofbuns travellingalong a'conveyor (not shown) is gliided' by funnels 93*int o the openedis removed from the packet- 53 bypulling it off tray 79 to the left.Flap 60"tears onlines of perforations 68 for iseparation'of the bag fromfasteners 69. The operation FIG; 11 illu rats 'another'form'of packetgenerally designated 97. 'Packet 97 correspondsgener'aHy to packet 53exce t that instead of having'lin'esof erforation 68, each bag 55 ofpacket 97 has a line ofperfo'rations 99"extending transversely acrossflap 60adjacent the upper edge of the front'wall 57. Packet 97"rnay beutilizedin the same manner aspacket 53 except that in removing eachba'gfrom' the packet after filling, the bag is 'separated'fromretainedon fasteners 69.

In view of the abovefit will'be seen that the' several I objects of theinvention are achieved and other advantage'ous results attainedr Asvarious changescould be made in the above methods without departing fromthe scope of the'invention, it is intended that all'matter contained inthe'above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall beinterpreted asiflustrativ'e and 'not in a limiting 'sense.--

What is claimed is:

l. The method of filling bags utilizing a prefabricated packet of bagscomprising a stack of open-mouth plastic bags, each bag havinga frontwall and a back wall, the back wall of each baghaving an extensionat themonth end of the bag projecting beyond'the mouth edgeof thefrontwallofthe bag,'e'achb'ag having openingsin its said back wallextension outward of the mouth edge of the front wall, said bags beingstacked with their edges substantially. in ,i'egisten'their front wallson top, and with said openings substantiallyin register, "a relativelyrigid backing member backing the hack wallof the last bag of the stack,a pair of fastefirsextt'en'dirig ffoin 't-he Backing member through saidopenings and having heads at their Tipper ends larger" than saidopeningsfor holdin'g saidbags in packet ed assembly; on said'faste'nersj the front'wall 'of each bag being'free'of the fasteners andeach bag inthe packet being free of the other bags in the packet-apart'from'the fasteners,"eachisucssive bag being adapted to have its mouthopened by spreading its frb'ntwallaway from its back wall While thelater remains on thefasteners, 1

comprising? positioning" the packet fiatwisewiththe back ing'me'mber at''the botto'rnfrnaihtaining tneend bf the "packetwhich includes thebackwall" extensions pressed lupward against 'a" fixed 'rher'nber"projecting over said end of 'the packetand terfriinating short ofthefmouth edge of the front'wall' ofeach 'ba'g intlie pack'ehopening upthe I mouth of the top bag of the packet by spreading its front wallupward hwayfro miits bak'wallwliile the latter remains on the fasteners,fillifigithe t'op hag'so opened'while 7 its back wall remains on thefastefiersfand then removingthe filled bag fr'on1- theffa'steners. I V

2. The method of claim lwhereinthe top Bag is blown open. V V, T3. Themethod 'of claim"1 "wherein eachbagihas lines of weaknesseitending fromsaid openings 'totheend edge bf its back wan extension, and eachsuccessive filled" bag is removed from the fasteners by pulling itto'fle'frectsepa- 'fa'tionalong saidlines'of weakness. a I

4. The finethod'ofclairjn lwheieineachbag has a line of Weakness in' theback wall thereof exten in transversely across 'the"back"'walla'djcent-themohth edge of the 'frdnt'wall, and each 'succ's's1ve'*filled'bag' is' removed from the fasteners by pulling itto-te'ar it off fromthe back I 'wall extension alongsaidtfahsverselirie of weakness.

"References Citedin the-"file of this patent

1. THE METHOD OF FILLING BAGS UTILIZING A PREFABRICATED PACKET OF BAGSCOMPRISING A STACK OF OPEN-MOUTH PLASTIC BAGS, EACH BAG HAVING A FRONTWALL AND A BACK WALL, THE BACK WALL OF EACH BAG HAVING AN EXTENSION ATTHE MOUTH END OF THE BAG, PROJECTING BEYOND THE MOUTH EDGE OF THE FRONTWALL OF THE BAG, EACH BAG HAVING OPENINGS IN ITS SAID BACK WALLEXTENSION OUTWARD OF THE MOUTH EDGE OF THE FRONT WALL, SAID BAGS BEINGSTACKED WITH THEIR EDGES SUBSTANTIALLY IN REGISTER, THEIR FRONT WALLS ONTOP, AND WITH SAID OPENINGS SUBSTANTIALLY IN REGISTER, A RELATIVELYRIGID BACKING MEMBER BACKING THE BACK WALL OF THE LAST BAG OF THE STACK,A PAIR OF FASTENERS EXTENDING FROM THE BACKING MEMBER THROUGH SAIDOPENINGS AND HAVING HEADS AT THEIR UPPER ENDS LARGER THAN SAID OPENINGSFOR HOLDING SAID BAGS IN PACKETED ASSEMBLY ON SAID FASTENERS, THE FRONTWALL OF EACH BAG BEING FREE OF THE FASTENERS AND EACH BAG IN THE